Bangladesh digested yet another huge defeat of 10 wickets by West Indies at the first of the two test match series at St Vincent Yesterday. West Indies declared their only innings on the third day at 484/7 and required scoring only 13 in the second innings without losing any wicket. Bangladesh got bundled out in the first innings for 182 and could just avoid the innings defeat thanks to a chancy but gritty 116 by captain Mushfiqur Rahman .Bangladesh could score 314 in the second innings after ending the fourth day at 256/5. When situation demanded batting with discretion Mahamudullah and Nasir gifted away their wicket and the rest had no technique or temperament to match speed and skill of Roach and Gabriel bowling with relatively red cherry on a fifth day pitch.
Bangladesh succumbed to friendly spin bowling of Suleiman Benn in the first innings and looked novice against fast bowling of Roach and Gabriel in the second innings. Same players made the same mistakes in both the innings while getting out. This has been happening over and over again meaning that players have little commitment and no accountability .Neither the coaching staff and team management have any monitoring and evaluation. There is winning or losing in any game .But it seems that Bangladesh cricket team has grown a habit of losing. No one is accountable for that. BCB is busy arranging international events ,hobnobbing with ICC , BCCI .They have little time to work or even think about domestic cricket . No mentoring or supporting the lowly spirited national team in its difficult time.
Defeat by a huge margin against any test playing country for Bangladesh is no longer a news .Ardent cricket lover of Bangladesh Cricket now hope against the hope that let it not bean innings defeat; let the match not be completed within three days. Let Bangladesh take the match to fifth day. Is it acceptable for a team playing test cricket for 14 years? What is Bangladesh record in all these years in test cricket? Wins against not even a shadow of West Indies team and significantly weakened Zimbabwe are the only successes. In 84 tests those Bangladesh played they lost 64 and won 4. About 80% of the losses were by the innings margin.
Last night we observed a lively debate on social media after Mushfique talked of lack of test match exposure as one of the reasons for not growing test match temperament. We agree Bangladesh has very little opportunity for playing tests compared to other countries. But when a country fails to achieve a competitive strength after 14 years of test tenure how major test playing nation can host them as cricket is now a commercial commodity. Of all teams India has not even invited Bangladesh once though BCB licks the laces of BCCI.
How can Bangladesh cricketers grow test temperament when longer domestic cricket format remains almost nonexistent in domestic front? What Bangladesh gets from arranging BPL? Who benefits from it? Bangladesh arranges international events of ICC and ACC and that earns some glory for the country. But how much these benefit our own cricket? What is the quality of our own cricket? What is quality of first class cricket? What happened to our age group cricket? What is happening with cricket development squad?
If one looks carefully even in the just concluded test one will find most our batsmen got out in the same manner either playing irresponsible strokes or exposing their poor techniques. Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu correctly pointed out, our players after reaching a small milestone consider that they have done enough and there cannot be any responsibility to play for the teams cause. Most of the batsmen get out at either side of a break – lunch or tea. This means they lack temperament and professional aptitude. No one can teach these to any test player .These have to come from within a player. Professionals always try to refine their skills as this is their bread and butter. But these are not the case for Bangladesh cricketers as most think scoring 20 or 30 with occasional 50 is more than enough to secure their place in the team.
If we critically analyze the just concluded test Bangladesh suffered another humiliation partly because of wrong strategy. Bangladesh played with 8 batsmen on the excuse for covering for Sakibul Hasan. There were four bowlers two of whom were debutants and two struggling to set their feet in international arena. The wicket did not have much pace of bounce .Neither it was English condition where bowl swings in the air. Yet Bangladesh winning the toss elected to field. Mushfique after toss told he wanted his bowlers to exploit whatever life the wicket had in the first few overs. The wicket was virtually dry and Mushfique brought spinners within the first ten overs dismissing the own logic of opting to bowl. He thought second and the third day would be better for batting yet his batsmen played like bunch of novice on the third day. He himself being the best technically equipped batsman in the side batted at as low as number six. The situation demanded him bat at number three or four against a huge West Indian score. In the first innings Mushfique batted with the tail but forgot to farm the bowling.
Bangladesh got white washed in ODI, the only T20 got washed out and lost the first test by 10 wickets .It is not that West Indies also bowled or fielded exceptionally well. If West Indian fielders accepted all the catches Bangladesh could have had another ignominious innings defeat .But agrees that is part of the game. West Indian bowling and fielding is expected to be much better in the second test. But how can Bangladesh improve from here? We do not find any justification of sticking with Imrul Kayes and Nasir any more. It will better to give Anamul and Mithun Ali opportunity. Rubel can also be replaced with Rabiul. Bangladesh may find Holder added to West Indian pace battery as they have sensed poor Bangladesh technique against fast short deliveries.
We do not expect dramatic improvement of Bangladesh or magical turn around. But we want our professional cricketers learn from mistakes and team management can justify their game plan. Let the team and team management do soul searching.
